Fall Like Rain
by Sapphire-Raindrop
Summary: Time and time again, whenever danger threatens, Fili's vocabulary narrows down to a single word: his brother's name.


Hey folks, so this is a very short, very unedited oneshot I did in response to a post of Fili and Kili I saw on tumblr:

: / / sapphire-raindrop . tumblr post / 72063145938 / 5-times-there-was-nothing-left-in-filis # notes

Basically, the gif sequences highlights the scenes in the Hobbit where Fili's vocabulary is reduced simply to his brother's name. I don't know what came over me, but suddenly I was writing this little short to explain WHY Fili feels it necessary to use his brother's name as much as he does. I really enjoyed it, and I liked how spontaneous and simple it was.

Soooo after writing it, I decided: why not share it with my fan fiction readers and see what they think? I've always thought about trying to delve into the complicated vortex that is LOTR/Hobbit fanfiction, but up until now i've been too scared to try.

_I've never read any of the books_, so please forgive me if i don't get everything perfectly right - LOTR/Hobbit isn't my strongest fandom in terms of knowing facts and plot. Everything you see here is what I gathered from watching the **movies**, and from the crazy enigma that is my imagination.

If you like it...

_**PLEASE REVIEW! **_

* * *

**Fall Like Rain**

a "Hobbit" fanfiction

by _Sapphire-Raindrop_

* * *

_The following scene takes place as the dwarves and their burglar reach the gated exit in the stream, and are accosted by the orcs tracking them. The elves have arrived, and are helping to keep the orcs at bay. Kili has just gotten out of his barrel in order to open the gate..._

* * *

"Fili grinned in triumph as he fought off the orc, his lunge causing the barrel to tip forward, almost far enough to empty him into the river. But luck was on all of their sides, it would seem, because the barrel remained upright.

Kili was up on shore, running for the lever that would open the gates to freedom, and Fili's barrel spun with the eddy. They all heard the _fffvvt_ of the arrow, but the sound of it actually _hitting_ Kili's leg, the sharp cry of pain..it seemed unreal. Fili used his weight to spin the barrel around the remaining bit, and stared up at his brother, his flesh-and-blood, the hammer to his shield. Kili's familiar form was falling forward, brown eyes wide at the sudden and unfamiliar pain of an arrow. Kili was usually the one doing the shooting, to have Kili be the one hit was strange and wrong.

"KILI!" Fili bellowed, because in that moment that was all that came to mind.

Perhaps saying the name was an unconscious confirmation that Kili was still Kili, still breathing, still _alive_. The name was more familiar than his own on his lips, after decades of calling it out in the stony halls of their home. Calling Kili's name had become second-nature, something more grounding than the most ancient of stone. It kept his brother with him, it reeled him in when he was straying too far.

* * *

_"Argh, and with one well-placed arrow, the mighty and terrible Smaug fell to his death, and his scales fell like rain!" a much younger Kili cried, his arms miming shooting an arrow before spreading his hands out in imitation of the scales falling to the earth. _

_"Do you really think that Uncle and the rest will take back Erebor?" Fili asked, kicking a small stone with his foot. It clattered down the empty hall, the sound of its skittering echoing familiarly. They were in the hallways leading to the furnace, and so deep chutes lined either side of the walkway. The torches on the walls were bright and cheery, but the talk of dragons had given them a mean sort of glow. _

_"Of course he will! And we will too, Fili! I'll shoot the arrow that'll kill Smaug, I bet. Just you see!" Kili crowed, jumping up onto the stone ledge that lined the chutes, arms swinging casually. Fili, always the more careful one of the two, noticed the crumbling rock just inches ahead of his brother's unnoticing feet almost immediately, and yelled. _

_"Kili!" _

_Kili paused, his foot almost touching the desiccated stone. He looked down, and giggled brightly before hopping off the ledge and joining his brother on solid ground._

_"Where would I be without you, brother?"_

_"I can name more than a few nasty places," Fili muttered, and Kili's unabashed laughter filled the corridor, overshadowing the gloom if only for a moment. The two, almost at the same time, proposed a race to the dinner hall. They raced off, the near-death experience already forgotten as they chased their next adventure._

* * *

Kili had opened the gate, and was slumped over on the stone, watching his fellow dwarves bob their way to freedom. Fili saw his brother's chances at joining them dwindling, and yelled, his voice more frantic this time, for his last bellow had gone unanswered.

"**KILI**!"

This time, Kili looked up — a returning call, a sign that he was still on the same plane as the rest! Fili maneuvered the barrel, arms reaching up to catch Kili when he fell. There were no words needed; Kili knew that either he moved or he died. Kili rolled off of the ledge just as Fili was about to go under the ledge. The landing was not pretty, nor was it without pain for Kili, but Fili almost didn't care because he _had him_. Kili was in his barrel, grunting and groaning in pain but he was _with them_.

Fili held his brother secure, observing the pain in his face and knowing how agonizing the wound must be if Kili was not laughing it off and boasting about the scars he would soon have. The fact that Kili was not making an effort to even _look_ at Fili told the latter everything he needed to know.

"F-Fili…" Kili chocked out, head bowing as he struggled to keep weight off of his leg.

"Stay strong, brother. You've still got a dragon to kill, remember?" Fili murmured.

Kili was quiet, but Fili could see the slight smile quirking his lips.

"…his scales…will fall…like _rain_," Kili whispered weakly, having to pause in order to regain his composure.

Fili tightened his hold on his brother, and met the eyes of their Uncle, who was drifting beside them, stormy eyes watching Kili with barely concealed concern. Their Uncle - a legend among their people, the fearless Thorin Oakenshield - was _worried_.

The young blonde dwarf swallowed the panic that arose at the sight of such a powerful man being concerned enough to let his emotions show on his face. Kili would survive this.

As long as Fili was there to call his name, Kili couldn't be lost.


End file.
